Copy-holder



(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' L.'E. BURTON.

COPY HOLDER.

' No. 556,575. Patented Mar. 17,1895.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ANDREW B GRAHAM. PHOTO UTHQWASNINGTONJI C (No Model.) 3 shets -sheet 3.

L. E; BURTON. COPY HOLDER. No. 556,575; Patented Mar. 17,1896.

WITNESSES INVENTOR AIIDREW BIRANAM.HIGTDUINQWASHINGNMRC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS E. BURTON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

COPY-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,575, dated March 17, 1896.

Application filed August 26, 1895- Serial No. 560,467. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEWIS E. BURTON, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Copy-Holders, of which the following is a full, clear and exact description.

My improvement is designed for holding copy of any description in a convenient manner for type-writers, and is especially adapted for use with stenographers note-books, in which the sheets are attached together at the top instead of at the side.

The accompanying drawings represent my improved copy-holder, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation, of my improved device with a stenographers note-book in place. Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the use of my device when holding a sheet of paper. Fig. 4 is a perspective representation of the hook used for attaching a stenographers n ote-book to the copy-holder.

In the several figures like letters of reference denote similar parts.

My improved copy-holder is supported on a standard a, preferably of iron, having a circular base-plate I), which is furnished with three short feet 0 c c, the number of feet being immaterial, excepting that a tripod is preferable, as it insures steadiness even when placed on an uneven surface. To the upper end of the standard is attached the table d of the copy-holder, at an inclination of about twenty-three degrees from the perpendicular, and it is preferably rigidly attached to the standard a, so as to avoid the necessity of adjustment or of fastening it in the desired position by screws.

The table d may be made of wood, iron, or other suitable material, of rectangular shape, and of such dimensions as may be desired. For ordinary use about ten inches wide and fourteen or fifteen inches long will suflice. At the lower end of the table d is a ledge or ledges e e for supporting a pen or pencil, as shown in Fig. l, and a piece is out out of the bottom of the table at f to permit of insertion of the operators fingers to aid in removing the pen or pencil.- At the right-hand side of the table cl is a strip g, raised above the level of the table, and to this strip 9 is attached a rod h, held by a lug 2' at each end of the strip and extending lengthwise of the table near to the right-hand edge and parallel therewith, as shown in Fig. 1. The purpose of the guiderod h is to carry the sliding indicator 70, which extends across the table at right angles to the sides and is so constructed as to be readily slid up and down the table and secured in any desired position and, when desired, removed therefrom. This is effected by means of a spring-clamp Z at the right-hand extremity of the indicator it. This clamp is in two pieces, so shaped as to clasp firmly the cylindrical rod h when held together by a spiral spring n, attached to the clamp. Each piece of the clamp Z has a projecting thumb-piece 0 0, so that by pressing them together the clamp is loosened or removed at pleasure. At or near to the outer end of the indicator, on the left-hand side, is a downwardly-projecting piece 19, which supports the indicator parallel with the face of the table d at a sufficient distance therefrom to permit of the copy being placed under it or between it and the table. This construction of the indicator permits of its being not only slid up and down or removed entirely, but also of turning it off from the face of the table, the clamp Z serving as a hinge for this purpose.

Across the table at a short distance from the lower end is the cross-bar m, which is attached to the strip 9 at the right-hand side of the table, preferably by means of screws, so as to be removable when desired, and when so attached is rigidly connected with the table. The cross-bar m is somewhat elevated above the surface of the table, but is not movable when in use, not being designedor adapted to serve as a line-indicator, which function is performed by the sliding line-indicator k. The purpose of the crossbar m is to permit some of the leaves of the stenographers note-book to lie on the table under it and some of the leaves above the bar, the thickness of the bar being sufficient to permit of the insertion of the operators thumb between the leaves of the book at any desired place, as hereinafter described.

Near the upper right-hand corner of the table d is a short leaf-spring 1", which is rigidly attached to the raised strip g at the edge of the table and is bent downward, so that its free extremity presses upon the surface of the table d, so that when a sheet or sheets of paper are placed on the table with the spring resting on them they will be securely held in place, and yet easily detachable. A similar curved spring r is pivoted at the lower righthand corner of the table to the strip 9, as shown in all the figures. Vhen not in use, it is turned downward, as in Figs. 1 and 2, and when in use it is turned with its curved end onto the table, as shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 4: is shown a perspective representation of an adjustable hook 5, used for holding a stenographers note-book on the tcble of the machine in such a manner that it will not slip out of place, but will always retain its proper position relatively to the indicator, so that the book may be removed and replaced on the table without necessitating any change of position or adjustment of the indicator or releasing any spring. This adjustable hook consists of two strips t If, each made of a single piece of brass or other suitable material and of exactly similar construction, excepting that the position of the bent proje'ctions w, the clamp U and the clasp u on one strip 1 is the reverse of that of those parts of the other strip t, so that the bent projection 20 011 each strip shall be at or near the outer end of the hook s, with the free end of each of the bent projections on the same side of the hook s when the strips are connected, as shown in Fig. 4.

At the inner end of each strip t t are two flaps u it, one on each edge of the strip, so that when these flaps on one strip are folded over so as to clasp the other strip the effect is that the two strips 15 and t are held together, but may be slid one upon the other, so that the hook 5 may be lengthened or shortened to suit the width of the book across which it is placed. The extreme outer end of each strip 25 and t is bent over backward on itself, as shown at v t, Fig. 4, the metal of which the strip is made having sufficient spring to cause the turned-over ends, under which the edges of the leaves of the book are slid, to press on them and hold them in place, the hook 3 being placed across the book.

At the upper edge of each strip is a projecting piece 10, which is bent over, as shown in Fig. at, by means of which the hook s, with the stenographers note-book attached is hung onto the top edge of the table I), as shown in Fig. 2. This device may be used separately from the type-writer for attaching loose sheets of paper, letters, &c., and suspending them to the wall or elsewhere.

Another device which I use with my copyholder is a detached double clip. (Shown at the upper edge of the stenographers book in Fig. 2.) is a clip of ordinary construction, consisting of two leaves connected together by an interposed bent leaf spring, one end of which is attached to each leaf. On the upper face of the upper leaf, at, of the clip m is fastened a smaller clip y, also composed of two leaves with an interposed spring. The operation of this double clip is as follows: The upper edges of the leaves of the stenographers book are held between the two leaves of thelarger clip, so as to keep the book open at the place from which the operator is copying; but if it is desired to copy anything written on any subsequent leaf before finishing with the leaf then in use or to write anything at the end of the copy which is being type-written the intervening leaves can be turned up and held out of the way by securing their lower edges in the small clip y, and this without disturbing the other leaves of the book or causing the type-writer to lose the place from which he had been copying.

Having thus described my improved copyholder, I will briefly explain its uses and ad vantages.

The stenographers note-book or attached sheets of copy being held in place by the adjustable hook or also by any other devices in. any convenient manner on the table of the copy-holder the adjustable hook is not disturbed by the removal of the book from the table, and while the hook holds the leaves together it affords a means of placing the book on the copy-holder table and removing and replacing it, so that it shall always, until the hook is purposely moved on the book, occupy the same relative position to the indicator as it did before removal. In connection with this hook the cross-bar near the lower part of the table being raised somewhat from its surface permits the blank leaves of the notebook to be placed under the bar and those which are written upon and have to be copied above the bar. Thus the bar separates the two portions of the book, so that if the operator desires to write anything on the blank leaf following the copy all that is necessary is to insert his left thumb in the space between the leaves, and either turn the leaves above the bar up and fasten them in the small clip, or with the same hand lift the book with its attached hook off the table. This saves time and avoids the necessity of turning over the leaves of the copy to find the first blank page, an advantage which clerks who write stenographically and transcribe by typewriter will readily appreciate.

The construction and arrangement of the indicator also form an important improvement, as it can be easily slid up or down, is not readily displaced by removing the note-book or otherwise, and can be turned over out of the way when the book is removed, and when the note-book is replaced and the indicator turned back will register just as it did before the book was removed when used in combination with the hook by which the copy is attached to the table.

The springs at the right-hand edge at top and bottom of the table are important where the copy consists of long and wide sheets of paper, as they form a convenient mode of attaching the copy to the table when the hook IIO 

